Brewers Manager on Dodgers' Blake Snell: He 'Makes More Money Than Our Entire Pitching Staff'

Oct 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) walks back to the dugout following the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during game one of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Dodgers and Brewers' battle in the National League Championship Series is indicative of a major existential debate in Major League Baseball: the haves versus the have-nots.

The Dodgers are employing a roster that is worth over $500 million after luxury taxes are factored in. The Brewers' payroll is $121 million, a number dwarfed by the Dodgers' hefty investment in their 2025 roster.

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The matchup between the two, as ESPN's Jeff Passan noted in his excellent analysis of the economic mismatch, could factor into how the league handles the restructuring of the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1, 2026.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy put it into perspective in bringing up the massive Blake Snell contract. Snell, who tossed an eight-inning masterpiece in the Dodgers' Game 1 win over the Brewers, is on the books for over $28 million this season, behind only starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow as the most expensive player on the Dodgers' roster this season. Overall, he signed a five-year, $182 million deal with LA.

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"Heck, somebody said Snell makes more money than our entire pitching staff," Murphy said on Wednesday. "That's for a reason, because he's great. What he demonstrated the other night was the high end of his game. That's unbelievable. That's great. We can't do anything about it."

Snell struck 10 batters out in his outing against the Brewers, allowing just one hit, zero walks and zero earned runs. Working alongside Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — the latter of which pitched a three-hit complete game in Game 2 — the Dodgers easily have the best starting rotation of the remaining teams in the postseason.

The Brewers won't be able to prove that they can do anything about Snell again this series unless they put together some wins. Snell would likely start Game 5 the Dodgers, but the Brewers must win a game in LA against either Glasnow or Ohtani in order to force a Game 5.

However, even down 2-0 to a behemoth like the Dodgers, Murphy is refusing to back down after leading the Brewers to the most wins in the major leagues this season.

"Now this was an unlikely team to be in first play and lead the major leagues in wins, so I trust that," Murphy said. "There's a lot of reason to doubt. There's a lot of daunting scenarios out there. But it's not time to think, complain or explain. It's time to go."

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.